What should I offer people for texting in?
Short answer
Offer something the room wants right now and can only get by texting in: your slides, a recording, a checklist or worksheet from the session, a giveaway entry, or a vote in a live poll. Name it in the ask, as in "Text DEMO to 33777 to get today's deck," and deliver it the moment they finish. How many people respond depends most on what you offer, so a specific, useful thing beats "join my list."
Updated November 5, 2026
Offer something the room wants right now and can only get by texting in. For a speaker, that's usually your slides. Other strong offers are the session recording, a checklist or worksheet from the talk, a giveaway entry, a discount at the merch table, or a vote in a live poll. Name the offer in the ask ("Text DEMO to 33777 to get today's deck") and send it the moment they finish. How many people respond depends most on what you offer, and "join my newsletter" on its own gives them very little reason to pick up their phone.
What works for speakers and trainers?
The slides. People photograph them during the talk anyway, and offering the deck turns that habit into a contact. "Text DEMO to 33777 and I'll send you the deck" also tells people exactly what arrives, which a vague "stay in touch" doesn't.
Other offers that fit a talk or workshop:
- The recording, if the session was filmed or you recorded the audio.
- A worksheet or checklist that matches the framework you taught. Trainers can hand it out mid-session and get contacts while people are still in their seats.
- A resource list of the books, tools, and links you mentioned.
- Session feedback. Textiful's Collect session feedback template asks for a rating (1 to 5 or 1 to 10) and an optional comment, and you can follow it with an email question.
If you speak often, use a different keyword for each kind of event, so the keyword activity report shows which talks bring people in.
What works at booths, shows, and events?
| Where | Offer that fits | Template to start from |
|---|---|---|
| Trade-show booth | Giveaway entry, product guide, a price sheet | Run a giveaway, Give away a download |
| Merch table or concert | A discount, an unreleased track, a setlist | Send an offer or info, Give away a download |
| Church welcome desk | A welcome note and next steps for first-time guests | Quick email signup, Send an offer or info |
| Conference session | Slides, a vote on the next topic | Send my slide deck, Poll the audience |
| Podcast or webinar | Show notes, a bonus episode, the replay | Give away a download |
A live poll is an offer too. People text in to vote, and once they're in the conversation, you can ask for an email in the next step. How do I show live poll results on screen? covers projecting the results.
How do I deliver it?
Upload the file once (slides, PDF, recording, image) and use it in any flow. When someone finishes, Textiful sends a tracked download link by text or email. Uploads can be up to 1 GB, or 100 MB for new accounts. Handout emails come from your name, and replies go to you.
Deliver it right away. The person texted in during your talk because they wanted it during your talk. If the flow promises slides, the slides should arrive before they leave the room.
How should I word the ask?
Put the offer before the instruction, keep it to one line, and say it out loud the same way:
Get today's slides. Text DEMO to 33777, or scan the code.
Pick a keyword that names the offer, so the word itself reminds people what they'll get: SLIDES, GUIDE, MERCH, REPLAY. Show a QR code beside it for the people up front. If they're also joining your email list, say so in the same line, so nobody is surprised by your next email. Is text-to-join legal? covers why that matters.
How does Textiful help?
Textiful handouts let you upload the file once and send it from any flow, and templates like Send my slide deck and Run a giveaway set up the capture flow for you.
Try it at your next event → Start a free trial
Questions people ask
Usually the slides. People ask for them anyway, they're already made, and "Text DEMO to 33777 to get today's slides" tells the room exactly what they'll get.
In Textiful, you upload the file once and the flow sends a tracked download link by text or email when the person finishes. Uploads can be up to 1 GB (100 MB for new accounts).
It gives people a reason to stop. Textiful has a Run a giveaway template, and the entry and the email are collected in the same text conversation.
You can, but it gives people little reason to act in the moment. Pair the list with something they get right away, and say both in the ask.
Keep exploring
Lead magnet
A lead magnet is something useful offered for free in exchange for a person's contact details, usually an email address. Common examples are slide decks, checklists, guides, templates, recordings, and discount codes.
ReadText-to-join
Text-to-join is a way to sign up by text: a person texts a keyword to a short code, or scans a QR code that opens a pre-filled text, and answers a question or two to join a list, get a download, or register for something.
ReadLive poll
A live poll is a question put to an audience in real time, with answers collected from people's phones or devices and results shown as they come in, often on the screen behind the speaker. It's used for audience participation, quick feedback, and group decisions during talks, classes, services, and shows.
ReadHow speakers collect audience emails after a talk
The way to collect emails from your audience after speaking starts at the beginning of the talk: tell the room the slides are coming, so they can put their phones down. On the last slide, ask them to scan a QR code or text DEMO to 33777. Textiful asks for an email, sends the deck, and adds the contact to your email list.
ReadTrade show lead capture for booth teams
Trade show lead capture with Textiful works from the visitor's own phone: they scan a QR code on your booth sign or text a keyword to 33777, answer two or three questions, and the lead goes to your CRM through Zapier or a webhook. Your staff gets an email for each lead, so a hot one doesn't wait until Monday.
ReadCollect fan emails at concerts and shows
The easiest way to collect fan emails at concerts is to say a keyword from the stage between songs and put a QR code on the merch table. Fans text FANS to 33777, give an email, and get the unreleased track or setlist you promised, and they land in your email list before the encore.
ReadReady for your next event?
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